Phone reviews roundup — the best new handsets to buy in May, including two mind-blowing camera phones and an ‘incredibly long-lasting Android phone that won’t break the bank’

• May 7, 2026

Spring is in the air, and along with warmer temperatures and brighter evenings, the season has brought with it an array of excellent new phones. We tested nine of them, and if you scroll down, you’ll be treated to a whistle-stop tour of exactly what we thought of each one.

Of those nine, there were two that scored a near-perfect 4.5 stars out of 5 in our tests. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra (not available in the US) is packed with power, boasts a stunning display, and charges super-speedily, while the Oppo Find X9 Ultra offers excellent software, superb accessories, and a big battery. However, the real standout feature in both cases was the photography setup, with these phones leveraging the expertise of camera gods Leica and Hasselblad, respectively.

Both of those models are pricey, flagship propositions. If your budget is a little more modest, fear not — we also reviewed a couple of stellar mid-range phones. The Poco X8 Pro Max delivers everything you’d want from an affordable phone, and the Samsung Galaxy A57 is similarly competent and looks great, too. Read on for your guide to which phones to buy (and which to avoid) in May.

Click ‘View details’ for a summary of what we thought of each phone, plus a link to the full review.

Fantastic phones for May

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A powerful, fast-charging uber-flagship with a Leica-tuned camera system that’s hard to beat. The phone’s main 1-inch sensor, with its new LOFIC HDR tech, impresses, as does the mechanical zoom within the huge 200MP telephoto sensor.

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Our reviewer’s new favorite Android phone, with the best cameras he’s ever tested, and impressive software, performance and battery life. The trade-off is that the Oppo Find X9 Ultra phone is large, heavy, and expensive.

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An incredibly long-lasting Android phone that won&rsquo;t break the bank. The Poco X8 Pro Max is wonderful as an affordable gaming mobile or business workhorse, with a solid processor and quick charging.

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The S26 Plus has all the bells and whistles of its predecessor, with some extra performance thrown in. But it&rsquo;s more expensive, and we didn&rsquo;t even get new cameras out of it. It’s still a great smartphone, but we should have had more.

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An excellent flagship with an attractive overall design, incredible battery life, and top-of-the-line specs. Throw in the strong camera performance and you have a great all-round smartphone package.

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A classier and more composed alternative to the usual flagship brigade &mdash; although not quite the out-and-out bargain that previous phones in the series were. Honor could do with losing its iPhone and AI obsessions, but there&rsquo;s no denying the quality of its execution here.

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The A57 has a good-looking display, a relatively slender body, and software that’s clean and easy to use, plus cameras and processor that are both fine for everyday use. Pricing isn’t very competitive, however, so keep an eye out for a discount.

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One of the best compact flagship phones around, with a bigger battery, faster charging, and better camera specs than its mainstream rivals. It’s not a massive upgrade over the Xiaomi 15, but it offers enough to remain competitive.

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Samsung’s first ‘affordable’ foldable, but it misses the mark with a too-high price tag for what it offers. It’s got a pair of excellent displays, but the cameras and battery life are both average, and parts of the software experience are frustrating.

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